Submissions

Open calls to submit poetry, prose, history, and art

The Virginia Writers Project is about Virginia writers of all genre, photography, and art. Submissions tell stories of Virginia today and yesterday. Virginia history is based on our counties. As we are mindful of our antecedents, think legacy and contributing to that legacy.

Some submissions may need editing to meet publication standards. Our editorial staff will review all submissions. We welcome high school student writers and visual creators. Our editors will work with you and provide guidance through the publication process. Use the contact button to chat with us.

VWP accepts nonfiction, prose, poetry, and photography or graphic art. Please read the guidelines below for each category carefully. Simultaneous submissions are welcome, but please contact us immediately via the contact form if your work is placed elsewhere. All rights revert to the author or creator upon publication.

The Winter VWP Journal submission period ended December 1, 2024. We are open for submissions to the Spring 2025 Journal beginning January 6, 2025. The deadline is March 31st.

Instructions to Submit Your Work

Nonfiction | History | Legacy Essays: Calling for Submissions

Email your work attached as a double-spaced MS Word document (docx or doc saved with your title and name as the file name, ie TITLE-AUTHOR NAME) formatted 8.5" x 11" with 1" margins using 12 pt Times New Roman font. Submit up to 3,500 words. Email to John Nicolay at nicolay0211@gmail.com with a brief cover letter and 75 word bio.

Fiction: Calling for submissions to Spring 2025. Opens January 6, ends March 31.

Email your work (one per submission period) attached as a double-spaced MS Word document (docx or doc saved with your title and name, ie TITLE-AUTHOR NAME ) formatted 8.5" x 11" with 1" margins using 12 pt Times New Roman font. Submit up to 3,500 words. Email to Deidra Lovegren at lovegren.deidra@gmail.com with a brief cover letter and 75 word bio.

Poetry: Calling for submissions to Spring 2025. Opens January 6, ends February 15.

Poetry submissions may be up to six poems, but the entire submission must not exceed six pages or require special formatting.

Poetry format: Microsoft Word only. Google docs and other word processors will not be not accepted. Use 12 pt. Times New Roman font and single line spacing, not double line spacing. Set paragraph formatting to single line with 0 before and after each single line. Only one poem per page. Poems longer than 1 page will be placed in a two-page spread, leaving 4 pages available for other poems. Type the title in upper case and then your name on the line immediately below in upper/lower case, not in boldface, as you wish for it to be presented in the Journal. Title and name should be presented at the beginning of each poem you submit. Include all poems in one Word document. Save the document with a main title and your name as a docx or doc file, ie TITLE-POET NAME dot docx. Attach your submission and email to Ray Griffin, Poetry Editor, at sagepoet@mindspring.com.

The editors have the right to not accept any poetry submission. All accepted poems are published in print and ebook format. Poems are posted with contributor information on our website poetry page for a period of up to seven months when time and space permit. Please let us know if you do not want to have your work appear on the poetry webpage.

Standards: Do not submit digital art, etc to accompany the poem(s). There is no requested genre, theme, or form for the poetry you submit, provided they are not demeaning and/or overt in sexual, religious, social, or political matters. Taboo subjects are obscenity, hate-speech, and dogmatic rhetoric. Once your poetry is reviewed, you will be contacted with a draft proof with questions or suggestions, etc. No poetry will be published without the consent of the poet. Poets retain the copyright for their poetry. The poet is, by submitting his/her poetry, granting Virginia Writers Project the right to publish your poems, but our rights do not go beyond that point.

Photography and Visual Art: Open for submissions from January 6th until March 31st.

Query your project first to Richard Lewis, vrpredux@gmail.com , or use the contact form. Please include context for your work in the cover letter. For photographs, we prefer jpeg or PDF at 300dpi or 600dpi. The VWP strives to preserve cultural artifacts. Whether one or multiple photos, zip them before uploading or attaching to prevent them from being stripped or downsized.

Thank you for being part of Virginia Writers Project!