Submissions
We are interested in writing that pushes into, dares to reveal, its own truth, that takes emotional risks, that gets to the heart of the matter. We welcome previously unpublished poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction, from both established and emerging writers.
We accept submissions through Submittable only; you can read more detailed guidelines on our Submittable page.
Simultaneous submissions are fine, provided you notify us if the work is accepted elsewhere. If you only need to withdraw a portion of your submission, we invite you to add a Note to your submission instead of withdrawing the whole thing.
Our Submission Periods are May 2 - June 30 and November 2 - December 31
Guidelines
Poetry submissions should be 3-5 poems and should not exceed 10 pages total.
Prose submissions, fiction or nonfiction, should be 3000 words or fewer.
Submissions that exceed word count or violate other guidelines will not be considered for publication.
Poetry: Poets should submit no more than 3-5 single-spaced poems at a time. Include all poems in a single document for upload. Lyric, narrative, experimental, prose poems--we're open to all variations of the poetic voice.
Fiction: Fiction submissions may include short stories, flash fiction, or novel excerpts if the excerpt can stand alone. You may submit more than one piece of flash fiction, as long as the total word count does not exceed 3000 words.
Creative Nonfiction: We're open to a wide range of nonfiction, with the exception of academic articles, or that which would be considered more traditionally journalistic. Personal essay, memoir, lyric, literary journalism, or some blurring in between, are all acceptable.
Reading Periods
& Response Times
Our reading period begins after the submission period ends.
Submitters can expect responses by April 1 for spring issues and October 1 for fall issues. If you haven't heard from us by then, feel free to inquire by sending us a note through Submittable.
If your work is accepted, HeartWood acquires first North American rights. All rights revert to the author upon publication, but we do ask for first publication attribution in any future publications. We also reserve the right to include accepted pieces in any future anthologies or promotions. If we have passed on a submission, please wait 6 months before submitting again. Regrettably, time being as it is, we are unable to offer feedback on submissions.
As much as we would love to be able to pay our contributors, unfortunately we are not able to do so. This is a labor of love for all of us, and we will do our best to honor and promote your work.
(Please note: We regret that current or past employees, current or past students, and alumni of WVWC are not eligible for publication in HeartWood, but we wish you much luck with your work elsewhere.)
Write on! We can't wait to hear from you!
