Westland Writes
We are pleased to invite local writers to submit their work for the 2026 edition of Westland Writes. This annual collection celebrates the creativity and talent of writers in our community.
Submissions will be accepted from April 1 through April 30, 2026. Each writer may submit up to two poems, one short story or chapter, or one creative nonfiction essay. We encourage you to review the Submission Guidelines below before sending your work.
Please check this page during the submission period for any updates or additional instructions.
Submission Guidelines
Before submitting, please carefully review the following:
- Eligibility: All authors must be 18 years of age or older.
- Residency: You must live in Westland or in a neighboring city to submit. Westland Writes highlights the literary talent of our local community.
- Submission Limit: Each author may submit only one submission. If more than one submission is received from the same author, only the first submission will be considered.
- Genres Accepted: We accept poetry, short fiction, and creative non-fiction.
- Submission Format:
- Poetry: Up to 2 poems, with a maximum of 200 lines total
- Short Fiction: One short story or one chapter of a longer work, up to 2,500 words.
- Creative Nonfiction: One essay or portion of a longer work, up to 2,500 words.
- Formatting Requirements: Please use a standard 12-point font, such as Times New Roman. Submit your work as a Microsoft Word document or a PDF file.
- Submission Deadline: Submissions must be received between April 1 and April 30, 2026. Work received after April 30 will not be considered.
- Review Process: All submissions are reviewed by our editorial team. Each piece receives thoughtful consideration. The editor reserves the right to decline any submission.
- AI Policy: All submissions must be the original, human-authored work of the applicant. Submissions generated, co-written, or edited by artificial intelligence (AI) tools will not be accepted.
- Notification: Authors whose work is selected will be notified by email no later than May 20, 2026.
Submission Instructions
To submit your work, please complete the online submission form.
All submissions must be sent through this online form. Submissions sent by email or dropped off in person will not be accepted. Please ensure that your submission follows all guidelines before completing the form.
Prior Publications
- View in Library Catalog.
- Purchase Print Book. Please note that not all print books are available for purchase.
- Click on a year to download the PDF version: