Washington Writers' Publishing House
Washington Writers' Publishing House publishes poetry and prose (fiction or CNF) in a biweekly journal, WWPH Writes. The journal is featured on our website on the second and fourth Friday of every month. We are happy to consider never-published original prose (fiction or CNF) and poetry as well as reprints from recent or upcoming collections from writers living in Washington, D.C. Maryland and Virginia. We do not charge for submissions, but there is an optional tip jar to help us maintain the site.
SUBMISSION GUIDELINES:
Please read all of the following guidelines carefully.
Eligibility: You must be a resident of the District of Columbia, Maryland or Virginia.
Prose - either short fiction or creative nonfiction, or a novel excerpt: Send one story or novel excerpt up to 1,000 words. Double-spaced, standard 12-point font. Please identify on your manuscript fiction or CNF. Word doc is preferred.
Poetry: Send a single file containing 1-3 poems (max. 5 pages). Standard 12-point font.
PLEASE NOTE: You may re-publish your work that appears on the site after 60 days, and we ask that you credit us in future publications.
Be sure to withdraw your submission immediately upon acceptance elsewhere.
INQUIRIES: Email our editors at: wwphpress@gmail.com
The Washington Writers’ Publishing House, is a non-profit, cooperative literary organization that has published over 100 volumes of poetry since 1975 as well as fiction and nonfiction. The press sponsors three annual competitions for writers living in DC, Maryland, and Virginia, and the winners of each category (one each in poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction) comprise our annual slate. In 2021, WWPH launched an online literary journal, WWPH WRITES to expand our mission to further the creative work of writers in our region. In 2024, WWPH launched our biennial works in translation series. More about the Washington Writers' Publishing House at www.washingtonwriters.org
Capital Love: A WWPH LOVE Celebration
Submissions:
POEMS:
Poems up to 14 lines.
Submit up to 3 poems. Though we are open to free verse, we would love to see haiku, odes, and sonnets.
Micro stories (fiction or nonfiction) up to 250 words. Though we are open to all, we would love to see some works that challenge convention with language/form/voice.
Only previously unpublished works. No AI-generated work ever accepted.
Submission period: January 3-January 31st
Open: To all writers from DC, Maryland, and Virginia, and to all those who have a strong connection to the DMV (lived here, worked here, educated here are strong connections. If you are not a current resident of the DMV, please describe your connection in your cover letter. )
We strongly encourage those who have never been published by WWPH to submit!
Payment: $25.00 per contributor and 1 contributor copy
Target Publication date: May 5, 2026
Inspiration:
The Washington Writers’ Publishing House has been uniquely positioned at the intersection of the literary and the political, with its base in Washington, D.C., for the past 50 years. Now, as we approach our nation’s 250th anniversary, amidst the political turmoil and anxiety in our region and country, we want to explore the most central human connection and strength: the power of love.
How do we express the power of love: for ourselves, others, and/or communities amid the political turmoil and anxiety?
How can we fight against isolation and loneliness with the power of love?
How do you define love in the face of/or in defiance of the cruelty and despair seen too often from our political leaders?
We are NOT looking for sentimentality or melodrama or emotional bosh. Please leave all Hallmark cliches to the Hallmark romcoms (which we will admit we watched on occasion during the holiday season).
We are looking for the works in CAPITAL LOVE, to bring us together, to heal, and to make us think more about what we want, expect, and need from ourselves and others, particularly at this moment rife with hypocrisy and lies.
Examples of responses that we love can be found here:
"Gratitude" by Cornelius Eady Gratitude | The Poetry Foundation
“Wild Geese,” by Mary Oliver.
https://www.themarginalian.org/2014/09/24/mary-oliver-reads-wild-geese/
More inspiration: While you don’t have to be ‘good,’ what do you need or want to express the power of love?
In addition, scholar/philosopher/literary giant bell hooks’ statements of love provided particular inspiration for CAPITAL LOVE, and we hope they will also inspire your work, as they speak to the power of love as a force, as action, and intention. One quote from her landmark treatise, All About Love, that particularly resonates and perhaps could inspire your work: “The practice of love is the most powerful antidote to the politics of domination.”
More inspiration: How is the practice of love your antidote?
A brief and powerful overview of All About Love can be found here:
https://www.themarginalian.org/2023/11/03/bell-hooks-all-about-love/
In short, we hope that, through a literary lens, the power of love will rise, speak our truths, and heal.
Submission period ends 1/31/26 at 11:59 pm.
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