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Accenti: The Magazine with an Italian Accent announces its 7th Annual Writing Contest. First prize: $1000. Contest is open to fiction and nonfiction on any topic. Submissions in English, 2000 words max. are welcomed from writers, established and emerging, worldwide. Deadline: February 7, 2012. Entry fee: $20. Guidelines

The CBC Canada Writes Prize is accepting submissions for Short Fiction. Deadline: November 1, 2011. A $6000 first-place prize is awarded to the best original, unpublished, short story (1200-1500 words) by a Canadian. Submissions are judged blindly by Canadian authors. Entry fee: $25. Guidelines

The Montreal Review welcomes short stories, creative non-fiction, poetry and articles on politics, philosophy, history, art, culture, and economy. Also accepts academic papers, philosophical sketches, scholarly texts, travel notes, book and art reviews, and opinion on contemporary issues.

Satellite (Canada) is a biannual magazine focusing on cities, culture and politics. Each issue features an in-depth look at a single city, alongside interviews, art, fiction, and nonfiction. Seeks submissions of existing work and pitches for articles or interviews. Guidelines

Emmerson Street Press (Canada) seeks manuscripts with a touch of the avant grade. Also seeking academics interested in writing an introduction (up to 1000 words) to a reprint classic -- PhD types with a passion for a specific book, author or thinker. Open to international writers. Guidelines

Writers are invited to contribute to a work of fictional biography about India Emmott. Length: 500-8000 words. Deadline: November 12, 2011. More

New journal The Sim Review seeks poetry and literary/experimental and speculative fiction. Length: Poetry - no line limit; Fiction - 500-5000 words. More

Dairy River, an online magazine 'focusing on detritus, ephemera, minutia, and miscellany,' is seeking short non-fiction submissions for its Volume 9. Deadline: November 15, 2011. More

At First Glance Publishing (US) seeks nonfiction submissions for an anthology by and for the loved ones of adult transgender people. Poetry and prose accepted (3000 words max). Deadline: December 31, 2011. Welcomes contributions from all genders. More

The Broken City (Toronto), an online literature/arts magazine, is accepting submissions for its winter 2011 edition: This is why I drink. This tipsy issue tackles boozing, carousing and hangovers via poetry, fiction, essays, comics, illustrations and photography. Deadline: November 1, 2011. More

Bluevoices (Canada) is accepting submissions for its first issue. Seeks prose poetry, postcard stories, flash fiction, short stories, and creative non-fiction. Submissions should deal with a contemporary social issue. Previously published work accepted. Deadline: January 1, 2012. Payment: Copy. Send submission in the body of an email plus a short bio to the editor at Bluevoices(monkeytail)aol.com.

Little Lark Press (Canada) seeks poetry about addiction for an upcoming anthology titled: The Whole Desolate Day (Late 2011 to early 2012 release). Deadline: December 31, 2011. Submission fee: $3. More

P O N D is a small-format print publication dedicated to short-form texts, and is distributed through Montreal and internationally. Seeks submissions 700 words max. in English and French. More

When I began freelancing, many publications didn't accept e-mail submissions. I kept ample postage and 9x12 envelopes in my supply closet, so I could send a query as soon as the idea printed on the heavy bond, cream-colored paper that contained the prerequisite watermark.

Then it was the wait-and-see game to see if my query landed in the hands of the editor or if it was held up in the filter, a.k.a. secretary or editorial assistant.

How times have - and haven't - changed in just 15 years!

Typically, editors prefer to receive a query via e-mail instead of snail mail. Still, writers play a waiting game. How can writers be certain the query lands in the editor's inbox and isn't being directed to the cyber highway's slush pile - the spam filter?

Every ISP has its own prescribed rules or filtering software; however, by following the general tips about e-mail subject lines listed below, your query can avoid ending up in technological black hole.

1. Check and double check spelling. Take a peek at the messages in your filtered mail folder. Many contain misspelled words. Verify the correct spelling of any words in your subject title. Not only will it help your message avoid the filter, attention to spelling and detail shows your professionalism.
2. Ditch subject lines typed in "all caps." All caps signals yelling, and netiquette warns against it. My personal exception to the rule is that I do type the word "QUERY" in this manner and type the rest of the subject line in regular type, capitalizing only where necessary.
3. Limit punctuation use. Filtering software keys on strange - and even misused - punctuation. I checked my filtered file. The majority of the messages included exclamation points in all the wrong places.
4. Shy away from filter-triggering words. Think about words you use in the subject line. Certain words, especially those with a double connotation, trigger filters.

Once you hit the send button, you still may play the waiting game. Keep in mind query guidelines, and if you don't hear from an editor, you may want to send a follow-up e-mail verifying your query has been received.

Keep the subject line of a query straightforward and avoid being trapped.

LuAnn Schindler is a freelance writer and editor; visit her website at http://luannschindler.com.

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