WWPH WRITES, OUR BI-WEEKLY SPOTLIGHT ON POETRY & FICTION FROM THE DMV

POETRY

We are happy to consider never-published original poetry as well as reprints from recent or upcoming published full-length poetry collections or chapbooks (please indicate publication date and press) from writers living in Washington DC, Maryland, and Virginia. Submit 1-3 poems not to exceed 5 pages. 12-point type, single-spaced. Please provide a cover letter addressed to the Poetry Editor with a biography of 50 words or less. FREE TO SUBMIT. Please submit here.

FICTION

Submit 1000 words or less; 12-point type, double-spaced. We seek fiction from diverse voices. We are looking for selections that could be considered flash fiction or excerpts from longer works. We lean toward the voice, the story, and the spark of language that speaks to the particular as well as the universal. Stories that tell us something more about life in DC, Maryland or Virginia are especially welcome. We will also consider reprints from recent or upcoming published full-length works in order to celebrate writers from the DMV. Please provide a cover letter addressed to the Fiction Editor with a biography of 50 words or less. FREE TO SUBMIT. Please submit here.

WWPH will open for our 2024 manuscript contests

on September 1, 2023

Background on our 2023 contest….

The Washington Writers’ Publishing House (WWPH) will accept manuscripts for entry in our 2023 book competitions in Creative Nonfiction, Poetry, Fiction, and in The Jean Feldman Poetry Prize, The Washington Writers’ Publishing House Fiction Prize from September 1-November 1.

Open to all residents of Washington DC, Maryland, and Virginia.

All entries are via Submittable. Entry fee is $28.00 via submittable.

All manuscript contests are judged by previous winners who volunteer their time and skills, WWPH is a non-profit cooperative press reflecting the culture and diversity of DC, Maryland, and Virginia. All manuscripts are read blind.

Prizes include $1,500, publication, 25 copies, editorial guidance, and launch support to coincide with the Fall, 2023 book publication. Typically, launch support includes readings held at Politics & Prose in its main store in D.C. and at the Writer’s Center in Bethesda.

IMPORTANT: The winners become members of WWPH and should be prepared to participate actively in the work of the press, including such areas as judging, publicity, distribution, production, and fundraising for two years following publication. The winners should be able to attend at least one in-person press meeting in the D.C. area in 2023. Additional meetings may be held virtually two to three times per year. Our tradition of writers working on behalf of other writers is essential to the continued vitality and success of WWPH. Contest entrants should be willing to make this commitment should their work be selected for publication.

We encourage all entrants to read recent past winners of our contests. Books are available on our bookshop as well as at independent bookstores and e-retailers.

Creative Nonfiction Prize

We are thrilled to add a book of creative nonfiction to our annual publishing slate in 2023. Writers, who are residents of DC, Maryland, and Virginia are invited to submit a memoir, or a collection of essays, or a hybrid creative nonfiction work (at least 150 pages and no more than 350 pages, double or 1-1/2 space). We are interested in literary creative nonfiction or memoir. Special note: writers who have books published with WWPH are invited to enter this new category–please note this exemption applies only to creative nonfiction entries. All entries will be judged blind by WWPH members.

As of September 1st, to enter, click here. Do not include your name, address, or other identifying information on the submitted document; manuscripts must be anonymous. Multiple submissions are permitted if submitted separately, each with a submission fee. Once submitted, manuscripts cannot be altered. The winner will be given the opportunity to work with a WWPH writer/editor and make changes before publication. Simultaneous submissions to other publishers are permitted, but please notify us immediately if your manuscript is accepted elsewhere

The Jean Feldman Poetry Prize

Poets, who are residents of DC, Maryland, and Virginia, are invited to submit a manuscript of between 50-70 pages in length, single or 1 1/2 spaced. Manuscripts will be accepted via Submittable. As of September 1st, to enter, click here. Do not include your name, address, or other identifying information on the submitted document; manuscripts must be anonymous. A table of contents and acknowledgments page (including publications in which poems from the manuscript have appeared previously) should be included. Multiple submissions are permitted if submitted separately, each with a submission fee. Once submitted, manuscripts cannot be altered. The winner will be given the opportunity to work with a WWPH writer/editor and make changes before publication. Simultaneous submissions to other publishers are permitted, but please notify us immediately if your manuscript is accepted elsewhere. Only poets who have not published books with us are invited to enter this category.

Fiction Prize

Fiction writers, who are residents of DC, Maryland, and Virginia, are invited to submit a novel or a collection of short stories (at least 150 pages and no more than 350 pages, double or 1-1/ 2 spaced).

As of September 1st, to enter, click here. Do not include your name, address or other identifying information on the submitted document; manuscripts must be anonymous. Multiple submissions are permitted if submitted separately, each with a submission fee. Once submitted, manuscripts cannot be altered. The winner will be given the opportunity to work with a WWPH writer/editor and make changes before publication. Simultaneous submissions to other publishers are permitted, but please notify us immediately if your manuscript is accepted elsewhere. Only writers who have not published books with us are invited to enter this category.

Our 2023 Manuscript contests are closed…shhh…we’re reading now