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Washington Writers' Publishing House
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| WWPH WRITES 116... pairs poetry by Chloe Yelena Miller from her acclaimed second collection, Perforated, with a rising voice of fiction on the DC literary scene, Jackson Lanzer, writing about an unexpected connection at Rock Creek Park. |
And next week, March 5-7, your WWPH will be at AWP in Baltimore:
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- at Booth 545. Plus, we're participating in a SCAVENGER HUNT. Get your postcard at our booth, visit 5 other DMV-area presses, collect each of our cool stickers, and earn a 20% discount on any sale at any of the participating presses.
- at Pickles Pub on Thursday, March 5th at 5 pm for A KIND OF BIG DILL reading/party. We're teaming up with 5 DMV area presses for readings (and free Baltimore treats!). From your WWPH -- Caroline Bock, Bernardine 'Dine' Watson, and Kim Roberts will be reading! Plus, there will be an OPEN MIC (limited spots - sign up at Pickles that night). The iconic Pickles Pub is located right across from the Convention Center at 520 Washington Blvd, Baltimore, MD 21230. Please let us know you're coming—we need to know how many pickles to order (yes, there will be pickles). RSVP here.
- with Author Signings at our booth on Friday, March 6th: Chanlee Luu at 11:30 am; Holly Karapetkova at 12:30 pm; Megan Doney at 1:30 pm, and Jona Colson at 2:30 pm.
- If you haven't been to AWP, here is a Survival Guide featuring literary pros from the DMV offering advice from Caroline, recently published in the Washington Independent Review of Books.
PLUS, we are using this issue to announce our 2026 WWPH Fellows; these are paid, largely virtual 12-week internships. We are excited for these talented young writers to work with us in 2026. And a big thank you to Dr. Jean Feldman for her support for this invaluable program. See below for more information on our Class of 2026.
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Read on! See you in Baltimore!
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Caroline Bock & Jona Colson
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POETRY
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Chloe Yelena Miller is the author of Perforated (2026) and Viable (2021), both from Lily Poetry Review Books. Along with Shasta Grant, she co-founded Brown Bag Lit, an online writing community. She writes and teaches writing in Washington, D.C. www.chloeyelenamiller.com.
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Photo credit by Hans Noel.
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“Perforated is Chloe Yelena Miller’s second full-length book of poetry. The collection moves between English and Italian, allowing us to track Miller’s personal history alongside broader themes. Her language never fails to surprise you, her phrases often landing unexpectedly, with gorgeous impact. Family, mothering, hoping despite a larger world which might just squash hope: I loved how I felt when I finished reading this collection, almost mothered myself. As if Miller had placed the gentlest gift in my hand: the belief that we might just be okay. Perforated was published January 22 via Lily Poetry Review Books." -- Hannah Grieco writes for SpotLit in Washington City Paper,
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PROSE
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THE GAMBLER
I sat by the creek every day when I was furloughed. I needed some sort of routine. A coffee, a smoke, and a book in Rock Creek Park was the one I chose — I guess it reminded me of mornings at cafes in Europe during my semester abroad.
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It was the first cold day of November — 44 degrees Fahrenheit, but the wind made it feel like 30. I was reading a collection of Fitzgerald stories when I heard footsteps behind me.
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I turned and saw a man who looked to be in his forties, wearing a weathered black sweatshirt. His hair was ruffled, and his shoes were tattered with several large holes.
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I handed him a smoke, and he sat on a rock about five feet away from me. He pulled a lighter from his jeans and lit the cigarette.
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“Come here often,” he said.
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“Yeah. Since the shutdown started, I’ve been out of work. So, I’ve been coming here every day.”
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“It’s a good spot. I’ve set up camp down the trail.”
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“Yeah, put up a tent about three weeks ago.”
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He began rubbing his hands together for warmth. He didn’t have gloves.
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“You staying warm? It was cold as hell last night.”
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“I’ve got a system for that. If you put enough dry leaves beneath your tent, it insulates you from the ground. So, yeah, I’ve been pretty warm and managed to get good sleep. You need your sleep living out here.”
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He paused to take another drag from his cigarette.
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“I actually had a funny dream last night,” he said. “I dreamt that I was at the World Series of Poker.”
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“I’ve never played poker. The only thing I know about it is from the song, ‘The Gambler.’”
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He laughed. Then, he began to sing.
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“You gotta know when to hold ‘em. Know when to fold ‘em.”
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“Know when to walk away,” I joined in. “And know when to run.”
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Once we stopped singing, he stood up, balled his hand into a fist, and extended his arm for a fist bump.
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“So, Brad, your life’s dream is the World Series of Poker?”
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“Yeah, I guess it is,” he said as a smile spread across his lips.
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“I figure no one actually knows how to play, and it’s all luck,” he added. “But I figure that you earn your luck through hard times. And I’ve had a lot of those. So, if I can get myself to Vegas, I think I’m bound to win.”
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He turned toward the trail and began walking back to his camp.
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He looked back toward me, and I dug into my coat pocket for some cash.
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I handed him a ten-dollar bill and my last cigarette.
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He lit the cigarette and held it with the same hand as the ten bucks.
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“I’m gonna buy a couple of lottery tickets with this. If I win, I’ll have enough money for the World Series.”
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He turned away again and, this time, walked in the direction of a gas station about two blocks from the creek.
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As I watched him walk, I couldn’t help but feel a bit of jealousy. He had a plan for life: The World Series of Poker. All I had was uncertainty about the next day. I no longer knew if working in government was for me — weeks of shutdown and a year of mass firings will break even the most ardent public servant's conviction to service — and I had no idea where I’d be in a month after my internship on the Hill ended.
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Regardless of whether Brad won the lottery, he knew exactly where he should be: Vegas, with playing cards in his hands and poker chips on the table. There was something admirable in his conviction to that dream.
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“Good luck, Brad,” I yelled after him when he was about twenty feet away.
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Glancing back, he smiled and waved the ten-dollar bill.
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“I think this’ll be the one!”
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Jackson Lanzer works in policy in DC and is a freelance writer. He recently graduated from George Washington University, where he studied international affairs and journalism. His work has appeared in Capitol Letters, The King's Journal, DC Trending Magazine, Roar News, Literary Traveler, and 365tomorrows. He recently won the honorable mention Julian Clement Chase Creative Writing in Washington Award.
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See you at AWP in Baltimore... here is a quick overview...
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Pickles Pub on Thursday, March 5th at 5 pm for A KIND OF BIG DILL reading/party. We're teaming up with 5 DMV area presses for readings (and free Baltimore treats!). From your WWPH -- Caroline Bock, Bernardine 'Dine' Watson, and Kim Roberts will be reading! Plus, there will be an OPEN MIC (limited spots - sign up at Pickles that night). The iconic Pickles Pub is located right across from the Convention Center at 520 Washington Blvd, Baltimore, MD 21230. Please let us know you're coming—we need to know how many pickles to order (yes, there will be pickles). RSVP here.
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After the big party, on Friday, you will find these award-winning authors at our booth -- #545.
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If you are an educator, stop by our Booth (545) and ask about bringing America's Future --and our writers -- into your classroom.
We believe AMERICA'S FUTURE has a place in your classroom. With 179 works of poetry, fiction, essays, and visual language spanning 526 pages, it offers a rich mosaic of writers looking at what's next for our nation through a literary lens. We have developed sample lesson plans suitable for AP-level high school classes and college-level work.
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The countdown begins...our new award-winning books will be published in January of 2027!
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If you are interested in submitting your manuscript-length work to us for our next front list (publication in 2028), we open submissions on April 1st. Stop by our booth (#545) at AWP and talk with us about being published with the Washington Writers' Publishing House.
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WWPH Fellowship
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The WWPH Fellowship provides undergraduates, graduate students, and recent graduates with a keen interest in the literary arts with the opportunity to gain hands-on experience working with the Washington Writers’ Publishing House. WWPH fellows/interns will learn small press publishing from WWPH executive board members and authors while helping advance the press’s mission. Participants will gain invaluable insight into the operations of an …
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WWPH WRITES IS OPEN FOR SUBMISSIONS. We are currently seeking poetry, flash fiction, and flash creative nonfiction for our Spring and Summer issues.
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Insider's tip...our PRIDE Poetry & Prose contest returns in May. Cash prizes and publication in June WWPH WRITES issues! Keep reading WWPH WRITES for details (and share with friends...free to subscribe to, no paywalls here).
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Look for Capital Love this May!
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Prose editor, WWPH Writes
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Poetry editor, WWPH Writes
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Copyright © 2025 The Washington Writers' Publishing House, All rights reserved.
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