We accept fiction, creative non-fiction, poetry, and novel excerpts (especially looking for more of those). We have no fees during our regular reading period, April-December. Our aesthetic drive is in pursuit of work that is Fearless, Crafted, Impassioned (that's our motto!)

West Trade Review is published quarterly (one print edition each spring and an online quarterly each summer, fall, and winter).  We strive to put forth the best contemporary poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction (personal essays/memoir), photography, and artwork and publish a mix of established and up and coming writers/artists.

Work from our journal has been selected for inclusion in Best American Essays, Best Debut Short Stories, and Best Short Fiction, and we regularly nominate writers for all major prizes including Pushcart, Best of the Net, Best American Series, and others.

Our mission is to perpetuate the work of artists both well known and yet-to-be-known, simultaneously enriching our world through the written word and visual arts.   We strive to reflect diversity in style, content and perspective throughout prose, poetry, photography and other artwork.

Journals that have published debut stories later selected for this award honoring exceptional first-time published short story writers.

Lit Mags That Have Published PEN/Robert J. Dau Award Winners

The top nonfiction lit mags in our database, ranked by how many users have bookmarked them.

The Ultimate List of Places to Submit Your Nonfiction

We asked, you guys answered. Here are the community's spring 2026 favorites for you cool kids, weird kids, very serious adults, etc. 

Want to check out Parts 1 & 2? We've un-paywalled them for you guys, so get them before they're gone.
Part 1: https://www.chillsubs.com/lists/cool_kids_3
Part 2: https://www.chillsubs.com/lists/Cool_kids_2

Where The Cool Kids Are Submitting Their Writing: Part 3

These mags publish novel excerpts, novelist interviews, and are generally interested in lending a hand to those of us who spend our precious hours and months and years grinding at just one long story.

Where to Publish Novel Excerpts

Digital publications chosen for Best of the Net. These journals demonstrate consistent excellence in identifying digital fiction that deserves wider recognition and readership.

Fiction Magazines Featured in Best of the Net Anthologies

Story-focused publications with works chosen for Pushcart Prize anthologies. Less than 5% of nominated fiction typically makes the anthology.

Fiction Magazines Featured in Pushcart Prize Anthologies

Online publications putting forward exceptional short stories for Best of the Net.

Fiction Magazines That Nominate for Best of the Net

A targeted resource for short story placements with potential for Pushcart recognition.

Fiction Magazines That Nominate for the Pushcart Prize

Specialized publications that recognize exceptional brief fiction through Pushcart nominations.

Digital publications advancing very short fiction for Best of the Net consideration.

Flash Fiction Magazines That Nominate for Best of the Net

Publications with ultra-short stories under 400 words selected for this anthology series. The definitive collection for the microfiction form.

Lit Mags Featured in Best Microfiction Anthologies

Digital publications with work selected for inclusion across genres. These journals consistently publish online work of exceptional quality that stands out in the digital literary landscape.

Lit Mags Featured in Best of the Net Anthologies

Publications with narratives under 1,000 words selected for this anthology series. These journals consistently identify short-short fiction, exemplifying the artistry possible in compact narratives.

Lit Mags Featured in Best Small Fictions Anthologies

Publications with pieces chosen for Pushcart Prize anthologies. Recognition of exceptional quality across poetry, fiction, and nonfiction.

Lit Mags Featured in Pushcart Prize Anthologies

Looking for balance between prestige and accessibility? These magazines are competitive but attainable for poetry, fiction, and nonfiction writers.

Literary Magazines in the Sweet Spot

Journals that forward outstanding nonfiction to this respected anthology series founded in 1986. These publications identify exceptional essays that might reach the broader readership BAE provides.

Literary Magazines That Nominate for Best American Essays

Best Microfiction, edited by Meg Pokrass and Gary Fincke, celebrates the art of the extremely brief narrative. These publications have editorial teams with particular sensitivity to the craft.

Literary Magazines That Nominate for Best Microfiction

Identifies publications that put forward outstanding online work for this respected digital anthology established in 2006.

Literary Magazines That Nominate for Best of the Net

Publications that nominate work for this respected anthology series founded in 2015 by Tara Masih to celebrate fiction under 1,000 words.

Literary Magazines That Nominate for Best Small Fictions

A comprehensive guide to journals that regularly nominate work for the Pushcart Prize.

Literary Magazines That Nominate for the Pushcart Prize

These magazines have the fastest response times, so you won't be left hanging for months. No more endless waiting. Just, you know, regular waiting.

Literary Magazines with the Fastest Response Times

BASS represents the most mainstream recognition for short fiction in America. These journals serve as the initial screening layer for potential inclusion in this widely-read collection.

Literary Mags That Nominate for Best American Short Stories

All-time most competitive literary magazines. Getting published in these is a significant achievement for any writer.

Most Competitive Literary Magazines of All Time

Explore the most popular literary magazines of all time. These long-established publications are a staple in the literary world for writers of all genres.

Most Popular Literary Magazines of All Time

Digital publications chosen for Best of the Net. These journals consistently publish digital essays and memoirs that exemplify the best of what's possible in online creative nonfiction.

Nonfiction Magazines Featured in Best of the Net Anthologies

Essay-focused publications with works selected for Pushcart Prize anthologies. These journals have repeatedly identified nonfiction that resonates with Pushcart editors and readers.

Nonfiction Magazines Featured in Pushcart Prize Anthologies

Digital publications nominating outstanding essays and creative nonfiction for Best of the Net.

Nonfiction Magazines That Nominate for Best of the Net

Highlights publications that regularly put forward essays, memoirs, and other creative nonfiction for Pushcart consideration.

Nonfiction Magazines That Nominate for the Pushcart Prize

Verse-centered publications with poems chosen for Pushcart Prize anthologies. These journals have consistently identified poems that stand out in this intensely competitive field.

Poetry Magazines Featured in Pushcart Prize Anthologies

Online journals that specifically champion poetry for Best of the Net consideration.

Poetry Magazines That Nominate for Best of the Net

Focuses specifically on poetry journals with established histories of Pushcart nominations.

Poetry Magazines That Nominate for the Pushcart Prize

Digital publications with poems chosen for Best of the Net. These journals consistently identify exceptional verse that represents the highest quality of poetry published online.

Poetry Mags Featured in Best of the Net Anthologies

West Trade Review

Exploring the physical and metaphorical aspects of borders and the experiences of crossing them.

Open to all writers; previously unpublished work only.

Borders & Border Crossings

Open to emerging writers who have not yet published a book with a print run over 1,500; previously unpublished work only.

Phyllis Grant Zellmer Prize for Fiction

Area code 704 is our home for West Trade Review (the Charlotte Metro area), but our contest is open to anyone.  <div><br></div><div>Send us a flash piece of up to 704 words that engages the reader intellectually but also packs an emotional punch and conveys a deep human truth. </div><div><br></div><div>For a model story, see Jessica Denzer's "The Silence" from our Spring 2022 print edition. It was selected for Best Small Fictions 2023 (Alternating Current Press). </div><div><br></div><div>Entry fee is $7.04   for each individual flash fiction story (one story per entry), with no limit per writer</div>

The 704 Prize for Flash Fiction

We are looking for nonfiction essays that explore creative life expansively conceived (broader than only literary).   

We are seeking personal essays that explore creative practice, reading practice, engagement with literature, support for the literary or creative life, hopes/desires/goals for the arts and creative life, experiences with authors or creative figures, arts community involvement, etc.

We hope these essays will inspire new writing, challenge conventional ideas of creative practices, and deepen our artistic community through the written word.

Essays on the Creative Life

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. 

Subscribe to our Substack Newsletter, Roots and Words, and Stay Connected to Our Literary Community
Our monthly newsletter highlights some of our recent fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction and also includes book reviews of upcoming and recently released titles.  If you're looking for something new to read, you won't want to miss these carefully curated titles and recommendations.   
Consider becoming a monthly or annual subscriber for exclusive poems, essays, community conversations, and much more.
https://rootsandwords.substack.com/
 
Please take a moment to follow us on social media:
Twitter
Instagram
Facebook


You'll also find us on Threads and Bluesky.

Creative Nonfiction Submissions

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. 

 
Subscribe to our Substack Newsletter, Roots and Words, and Stay Connected to Our Literary Community
Our monthly newsletter highlights some of our recent fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction and also includes book reviews of upcoming and recently released titles.  If you're looking for something new to read, you won't want to miss these carefully curated titles and recommendations.   
Consider becoming a monthly or annual subscriber for exclusive poems, essays, community conversations, and much more.
https://rootsandwords.substack.com/

Follow us on social media:
Twitter
Instagram
Facebook

 
You'll also find us on Threads and Bluesky.

Fiction Submissions

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. 

Subscribe to our Substack Newsletter, Roots and Words, and Stay Connected to Our Literary Community
Our monthly newsletter highlights some of our recent fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction and also includes book reviews of upcoming and recently released titles.  If you're looking for something new to read, you won't want to miss these carefully curated titles and recommendations.   
Consider becoming a monthly or annual subscriber for exclusive poems, essays, community conversations, and much more.
https://rootsandwords.substack.com/
 
 
 Follow us on social media:
 Twitter
 Instagram
 Facebook
 
 You'll also find us on Threads and Bluesky.

Poetry Submissions

Blossoming: April theme

May 2026: Permission (Submission open 5/1-5/31)

June 2026: Slowing Down (Submissions open 6/1-6/30)

July 2026: Unraveling (Submissions open 7/1-7/31)

August 2026: Turning Points (Submissions open 8/1-8/31)

September 2026: On Being Alone (Submissions open 9/1-9/30)

October 2026: Shapeshifting (Submissions open 10/1-10/31)

Poems that Reasonate

The Phyllis Grant Zellmer Prize for Fiction
 Special Promo:  Be one of the first 25 writers to submit before 1/25, and we'll respond to your submission within 2 weeks.
 
The contest is open from January 15, 2026 - March 15, 2025. Entry fee is  $15 for each individual story (one story per entry), with no limit per writer, and includes a copy of our spring 2025 print edition.                            ​   ​ 
 
Eligibility

  This contest is open only to emerging writers only who have not yet published a book with a print run over 1,500.
  Only previously unpublished stories will be accepted.
  Stories that have won and/or placed in any other writing contest are ineligible.
  Unlimited entries allowed. One story per submission.
  Simultaneous submissions are allowed, but previously accepted or work published in West Trade Review is ineligible.
  Please withdraw your submission and notify West Trade Review if it is accepted elsewhere.
  No one editorially or financially affiliated with West Trade Review can enter the contest.

 
​        Guidelines 

  All entries must be submitted by 11:59pm EST on March 15, 2026. 
  Entry fee is $15 for each individual story (one story per entry), with no  limit per author, and includes a copy of our spring 2025 print edition.
  ​Submission is one original story up to 5,000 words.
  ​The author’s name must not appear on the manuscript or in the file name.
  ​Please submit one story per entry in a single Microsoft Word file and list the title of your story as the submission title.
  ​Please use a standard font, either Times New Roman or Arial in 12 point font size.
  ​Do not include a cover page. Include your title with your story.
  ​Please do not include professional resumes or biographies with your entry.  Entries are judged anonymously; the judge will only consider story quality.
  ​Please take the judge of the contest into consideration. If you know her personally, or have ever attended classes or workshops she has instructed, please use manuscripts that she would not have seen before.
  ​Revisions or edits will not be accepted once submitted for judging.
  Entries that do no meet guidelines or eligibility requirements will not be considered. 

 
$1000 and publication in West Trade Review will  be awarded to the winning story.  Other entries of merit may be considered for publication. The winning story will be announced on our website and social media platforms mid-April 2026 and then published in the 2027 spring print issue of West Trade Review.        
 
Contest Judge:  Margaret Malone 
Margaret Malone is  the author of the story collection PEOPLE LIKE YOU (Atelier26 Books),  Finalist for the 2016 PEN Hemingway Award and Winner of the Balcones Fiction Prize.  She is a graduate of Randolph’s M.F.A. program and  Humboldt State University where she received a B.A. in Philosophy.   
Her writing can be found or is forthcoming in BOMB, The Rumpus, The Missouri Review, Paper Darts, and elsewhere.  
She lives in Portland, Oregon where she hosts the interview series and radio show Bust the Canon.  Margaret teaches creative writing through Stanford’s Distinguished Careers Institute and at Literary Arts and mentors both established and emerging writers in person and online.
 
Subscribe to our Substack Newsletter, Roots and Words, and Stay Connected to Our Literary Community
As a free subscriber, get  access to our free monthly newsletter and one free post each week.  Annual subscribers receive exclusive original content like new weekly poems, new essays  that explore creativity and the creative life, weekly generative creative writing prompts, and live conversations (craft talks, book club  discussions, etc.).   
Annual subscribers also receive a complimentary copy of each year's spring print edition of West Trade Review.
Learn more and sign up here:
https://rootsandwords.substack.com/about 
 
Please take a moment to follow us on social media:
Twitter
Instagram
Facebook
 
You'll also find us on Threads and Bluesky.

Phyllis Grant Zellmer Prize for Fiction ($15 Entry Fee, $1000 prize) -- 2026 contest

The West Trade Review Prize for Poetry
 
 The contest is open from January 15, 2026 - March 15, 2026. Entry fee is  $15 for each entry (three poems per entry), with no entry limit per writer, and includes a copy of our spring 2025 print edition.
 
Special Promo:  Be one of the first 25 writers to submit before 1/25, and we'll respond to your submission within 2 weeks.                                 ​   ​
 
 Eligibility 

  This contest is open only to emerging writers only who have not yet published a book with a print run over 1,500.
  Only previously unpublished poems will be accepted.
  Poems that have won and/or placed in any other writing contest are ineligible. 
  Unlimited entries allowed. Three poems per submission. 
  Simultaneous submissions are allowed, but work previously accepted or published in West Trade Review is ineligible.
  Please withdraw your submission and notify West Trade Review if it is accepted elsewhere.
  No one editorially or financially affiliated with West Trade Review can enter the contest.

 
​   Guidelines  

  All entries must be submitted by 11:59pm EST on March 15, 2026. 
  One submission per entry fee of $15 (up to three poems per submission).   Entry fee includes a copy of our Spring 2025 print edition. 
  Poet may submit up to three poems. Author is allowed multiple entries.
  The author’s name must not appear on the manuscript or in the file name.
  Please submit up to three poems per entry in a single Microsoft Word file and  list the title of each poem as the submission title in Submittable.
  Please use a standard font, either Times New Roman or Arial in 12-point font size.
  Must include a title for each poem.
  Please do not include professional resumes or biographies with your entry.  Entries are judged anonymously; the judge will only consider poem quality.
  ​Please take the judge of the contest into consideration. If you know him personally, or have ever attended classes or workshops he has instructed, please use manuscripts that he would not have seen before.
  ​Revisions or edits will not be accepted once submitted for judging.
  Entries that do no meet guidelines or eligibility requirements will not be considered. 

 
​Entries that do no meet guidelines or eligibility requirements will not be considered.   
$1000 and publication in West Trade Review will  be awarded to the winning poem.  Other entries of merit may be  considered for publication. The winning poem will be announced on our  website and social media platforms mid-April 2026 and then published in the 2027 spring print issue of West Trade Review.     
 
Contest Judge:                           ​​                                 ​                  
 
This year's contest judge is Jason Schneiderman.
 
Jason Schneiderman is the author of five poetry collections, most recently Self Portrait of Icarus as a Country on Fire (Red Hen, 2024). Other titles include Hold Me Tight (Red Hen, 2020); Primary Source (Red Hen Press, 2016), winner of the Benjamin Saltman Prize; Striking Surface (Ashland Poetry Press, 2010), winner of the Richard Snyder Prize, and Sublimation Point (Four Way Books, 2004), a Stahlecker Selection.  
His poetry and essays have appeared in numerous journals and anthologies, including American Poetry Review, The Best American Poetry, Poetry London, Grand Street, The Penguin Book of the Sonnet, Story Quarterly, and Tin House.  
He edited the anthology Queer: A Reader for Writers (Oxford University Press 2015).  
He is also the author of Nothingism: Poetry at the End of Print Culture (University of Michigan Press, 2025) and Teaching Writing Through Poetry: Understanding Poetric Form and Its Power to Unleash Creative Expression (Bloomsbury, 2025). 
 
 
Subscribe to our Substack Newsletter, Roots and Words, and Stay Connected to Our Literary Community
As a free subscriber, get access to our free monthly newsletter and one free post each week.  Annual subscribers receive exclusive original content like new weekly poems, new essays that explore creativity and the creative life, weekly generative creative writing prompts, and live conversations (craft talks, book club  discussions, etc.).   
Annual subscribers also receive a complimentary copy of each year's spring print edition of West Trade Review.
Learn more and sign up here:
https://rootsandwords.substack.com/about 
 
Please take a moment to follow us on social media:
Twitter
Instagram
Facebook
 
You'll also find us on Threads and Bluesky.

West Trade Review Prize for Poetry ($15 Entry, $1000 Prize)

The editors of West Trade Review seek essays that explore the idea of inheritances, or what you were given without asking for it.    ​Everyone  shows up already holding something: a surname, a debt, a language, a diagnosis, a border crossed by someone else on your behalf, or perhaps a god you were handed at four and have been negotiating with ever since.     ​
What do you do with what you didn't choose, or what arrives uninvited? Keep it, refuse it, spend it, mistranslate it, hand it on deliberately altered, or fail to hand it on at all? The failures are as interesting as the reckonings.    ​
We are not looking for family memoir, nor for essays on the mechanism of  transmission. In other words, don't show us how it got to you.  Show us how you carried it and how you dealt with what you didn't choose.    ​
We're open to essays that are documentary in impulse, essays that go to the archive: the county record, the medical file, the photograph, to language itself.  We're also open to essays whose form is part of the argument (fragment, braid, catalogue). If the shape is doing something the paragraph can't, we want to see it.
Manuscripts are read year-round.
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.
- Submissions should be between approximately 2500 and 5000 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 third-person  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 (Instagram,  Bluesky, etc.). If you have a website dedicated to your writing, please  include the link in your cover letter as well.
Submissions are open year round.  Submit no more than once per 6-month period.
While we offer free submissions the first three days 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.   The response time for an expedited response is approximately 2 weeks.
Subscribe to our Substack Newsletter, Roots and Words, and Stay Connected to Our Literary Community
As a free subscriber, get  access to our free monthly newsletter and one free post each week.  Annual subscribers receive exclusive original content like new weekly poems, new essays  that explore creativity and the creative life, weekly generative creative writing prompts, and live conversations (craft talks, book club  discussions, etc.).
Annual subscribers also receive a complimentary copy of each year's spring print edition of West Trade Review.
Learn more and sign up here:
https://rootsandwords.substack.com/about
Please take a moment to follow us on social media.
Twitter
Instagram
Facebook
You'll also find us on Threads and Bluesky.

West Trade Review

Highlights

About

Featured Call

Poems that Reasonate

Appears in collections