West  Trade Review invites submissions of poetry, fiction, essays, and hybrid  work for an upcoming issue with a special section on the theme of  Ecstasy.

  It  seems we have always needed, and had, a word for ecstatic states. The  word “ecstasy” comes to us from ancient Greek, ek-outside of + stasis,  that is, our usual condition. Thousands of years later, we’re still in  search of escape from the daily grind—from dull work, heavy  responsibilities, the expectations, and requirements of others, and  perhaps above all from the shadowy aspects of ourselves. Ecstasy will  explore the contours of our altered states and our wishes—sometimes  lucid, often not—for such alterity. We want out. How will we get it?
 

We’re  looking for writing that explores ecstasy in all its forms—ecstasies of  the body, of course, but also of the mind and spirit, ecstasies of  labor, research, discovery, recognition, and reward. Ecstasies of  relief—from pain, concern, obsession. Ecstatic laughter from Nietzsche  to Kundera to Iliza Shlesinger and Margaret Cho. Ecstasies of  information, from the full-scape virtual reality suite to the humble  sext—or maybe just an unexpectedly hot postcard from an alter-ego,  something that perks you up, attunes you freshly to the erotic  possibilities of speed, flight, transformation, and exchange.
 

Is  ecstasy a matter of one-time access, like finding a golden ticket or a  getting a winning lotto card? Or is it an aspect of practice, a deep  release like a runner’s high, something that comes after a long period  of patient work?
 

We’re  interested, too, in the limits of ecstasy and in work that explores its  shadow side—the ambiguous ecstasies of crowds, of riots and protests  and sold-out shows. Show us the paradoxes of ecstasy, the mind-altering  pleasures to be found around the edges of being mature, reasonable,  adult.
 

We  want subtle work that insists, with Lucy Snowe: “We shall and must  break bounds at intervals, despite the terrible revenge that awaits our  return.” And we want work that shouts for release along with Baudelaire:  “Anywhere! Anywhere out of this world!”
 

Send us what sends you.

Guidelines:
 

- Only previously unpublished work will be considered.
  -  Submit up to 5 poems as one submission in a single Microsoft Word  file (and list the title of each poem for the title of your group  submission) or a single prose piece of up to 6,000 words.
   - Include a clear title for your submission and indicate genre in your cover letter and at the top of  your document (fiction, nonfiction, poetry, hybrid).
   - Please single space poems and double space prose
    - Include a cover letter and a short 3rd person biography of no more  than 150 words. In your cover letter, explain how your submission engages with the theme of ecstasy.
   - Simultaneous submissions are allowed, but please let us know immediately if the work is published elsewhere.
   - Writers may not submit more than once per reading period.

Submissions that do no meet guidelines or eligibility requirements will not be considered.

While we offer free submissions the first week of each month (April to December), general submissions are typically $3 (to cover administrative costs).  

You may also choose to receive a quick decision about your work for $10, and may also receive a quick decision about your work along with personalized feedback from the editors for $25 (1.5-2 pages).   The response time for both expedited and personalized options is approximately 2 weeks.

Please take a moment to follow us on social media and subscribe to our newsletter. 

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You'll also find us on Threads and Bluesky. 

WTR seek poems that perform Olympic feats with language that  leave a reader in wonder while still referring back to the basic things  that make us human. We want powerful imagery and enjoy the juxtaposition  of images in interesting and unexpected ways.
 We want poems that make the reader think and feel, work that humbles us  with its joy, humor, embarrassment, anger, hope, grief, or all of the  above, and gravitate toward writing that has something important to  teach us--something that readers really need to know, but might not have  understood this was a need until the last word of the work.




NOTE: Submissions which do not meet the following guidelines will not be considered:
 

• All submissions must be previously unpublished and are limited to five poems per reading period and must be accompanied by a cover letter and a biography of no more than 150 words. Work submitted without a biography will not be considered.
• In your cover letter, please mention your social media handles (Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter).  If you have a website dedicated to your writing, please include the link in your letter.
• Include a clear title for each poem.
• Submit poems as one reading packet and place what you consider your stronger work at the front of the group.
• Enter the title of each poem as your packet's submission title.
• Work must be submitted as a Microsoft Word file. 

Submit only once per reading period.  


While we offer free submissions the first week of each month (April to December), general submissions are typically $3 (to cover administrative costs).  

You may also choose to receive a quick decision about your work for $10, and may also receive a quick decision about your work along with personalized feedback from the editors for $25 (1.5-2 pages).   The response time for both expedited and personalized options is approximately 2 weeks.


Please take a moment to follow us on social media and subscribe to our newsletter.
Twitter
Instagram
Facebook

You'll also find us on Threads and Bluesky.

******** SUBMISSIONS OPEN 3/8/23-3/11/23 FOR AWP ATTENDEES

We look for fiction with a literary focus and prioritize characterization and psychological depth. No genre pieces considered.

​We  want stories that make the reader think and feel, work  that humbles us with its joy, humor, embarrassment, anger, hope, grief,  or all of the above, and gravitate toward writing that has something  important to teach us--something that readers really need to know, but  might not have understood this was a need until the last word of the work.

Manuscripts are read between April 1 and August 1 & August 15 to December 15.

NOTE: Submissions which do not meet the following guidelines will not be considered:

• All submissions must be previously unpublished and are limited to one entry per submission period.
• While we have no hard limit regarding story length, most pieces we accept are typically less than 5,000 words.
• Work must be submitted as a Microsoft Word file and include a clear title of the work
• Submissions must be accompanied by a cover letter and a biography of no more than 150 words. Work submitted without a biography will not be considered.
• In your cover letter, please mention your social media handles (Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter).  If you have a website dedicated to your writing, please include the link in your cover letter as well.

Submit Only Once Per Reading Period.

While we offer free submissions the first week of each month (April to December), general submissions are typically $3 (to cover administrative costs).  

You may also choose to receive a quick decision about your work for $10, and may also receive a quick decision about your work along with personalized feedback from the editors for $25 (1.5-2 pages).   The response time for both expedited and personalized options is approximately 2 weeks. 

Please take a moment to follow us on social media and subscribe to our newsletter.

Twitter

Instagram

Facebook

You'll also find us on Threads and Bluesky.

We are interested in personal essays, memoir, travel essays, and lyric essays of up to 6000 words that blend style with substance and reach beyond the personal to tell us something new about the world.

We  want creative nonfiction that make the reader think and feel, work that humbles us with its joy, humor, embarrassment, anger, hope, grief,  or all of the above, and gravitate toward writing that has something  important to teach us--something that readers really need to know, but  might not have understood this was a need until the last word of the work.

Manuscripts are read between April 1 and August 1 & August 15 to December 15.

NOTE: Submissions which do not meet the following guidelines will not be considered:

• All submissions must be previously unpublished and are limited to one entry per submission period.
• While we have no hard limit regarding CNF length, most pieces we accept are typically less than 6,000 words. We do accept flash nonfiction, but we find pieces are often undeveloped or unfocused.
• Work must be submitted as a Microsoft Word file (.doc or .docx). We have had issues with Apple Pages and Google docs. Follow conventional formatting (12pt readable font, double spacing, 1" margins).
• Include a clear title of the work, a brief cover letter, and a short biography no more than 150 words.  Work submitted without a biography will not be considered.  
• Please mention your social media handles in your cover letter.  If you have a personal website for your writing, please provide the link in your cover letter as well.

Submit Only Once Per Reading Period.
 

While we offer free submissions the first week of each month (April to December), general submissions are typically $3 (to cover administrative costs).  

You may also choose to receive a quick decision about your work for $10, and may also receive a quick decision about your work along with personalized feedback from the editors for $25 (1.5-2 pages).   The response time for both expedited and personalized options is approximately 2 weeks. 

Please take a moment to follow us on social media and subscribe to our newsletter.

Twitter

Instagram

Facebook

You'll also find us on Threads and Bluesky.

Submissions  Promo:  If you're among the first 50 poets to submit to us by end of  day on April 21st, we will respond to your submission in two weeks (no  charge for expedited feedback, a $10 value)

West Trade Review seeks poems that somehow engage with the intersection of social identity and place/environment/nature. Specifically, we'd like to read poems that explore the relationship between place/environment/nature and gender, sexual identity, race, ethnicity, disability, and/or social class.  

Poets are encouraged to "go into yourself. Search for the reason that bids you write," as Rilke urged.  Simply creatively explore these ideas and intersectional spaces to find what emerges.

 We are excited for you to reveal to us what you find there.  Send us your best poems.



NOTE: Submissions which do not meet the following guidelines will not be considered:
 

• In your cover letter, explain how your poem(s) engage with the intersection of social identity (gender, race, ethnicity, sexual identity, disability, and/or social class) and nature/environment/place and please mention your social media handles (Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter).  If you have a website dedicated to your writing, please include the link in your letter as well.
• All submissions must be previously unpublished and are limited to five poems per reading period and must be accompanied by a cover letter and a biography of no more than 150 words. Work submitted without a biography will not be considered.
• Include a clear title for each poem.
• Submit poems as one reading packet and place what you consider your stronger work at the front of the group.
• Enter the title of each poem as your packet's submission title.
• Work must be submitted as a Microsoft Word file. 

Submit only once per reading period.  


While we offer free submissions the first week of each month (April to December), general submissions are typically $3 (to cover administrative costs).  

You may also choose to receive a quick decision about your work for $10, and may also receive a quick decision about your work along with personalized feedback from the editors for $25 (1.5-2 pages).   The response time for both expedited and personalized options is approximately 2 weeks.


Please take a moment to follow us on social media and subscribe to our newsletter.
Twitter
Instagram
Facebook

You'll also find us on Threads and Bluesky.