Submission Guidelines

WISP: a small, thin piece or bundle of something; a flock of birds

WISP is a literary-arts postcard of short poetry and prose. Bite-size poems and stories on postcards, notecards, broadsides and other ephemera. WISP keeps outstanding literature and art in hands and on the streets, alive and circulating. WISP works to create joy. 

A collaboration between writers and visual artists, WISP is a mini ekphrastic journal on a postcard.  These special postcards are the perfect size for sharing, tucking into a purse or pocket, slipping into a gift, or a neighbor's mailbox. Leave them at coffee shops, libraries, or waiting rooms, or pin them onto bulletin boards. refrigerators, and telephone poles. WISP postcards pack a powerful literary punch and are brief enough to read on trains, planes and buses.  In this age of digitalization, WISP postcards travel in snail mail and are verses you can touch, collect and pass around. And we love that WISP may inspire new deltiologists (collectors of postcards) among poets/writers and artists!

WISP is dedicated to discovering the best imaginative unpublished works from emerging and established poets and writers. WISP literary-arts postcards showcase brief, beautiful and evocative works of poetry, fiction and creative nonfiction.

Submission period:  Jan. 1 - April 15 (summer issue) and  Aug. 1 - Nov. 15 (winter issue)

Postcards are published twice a year, digitally and in print: 

• Send 1-3  unpublished poems, flash fiction or creative non-fiction to info@thepoetryloft.org in the body of the email. 
• On the Subject line write: WISP Submission, followed by your last name. 
• Each piece must be fewer than 130 words, and 16 lines. Stanza breaks count as lines. 12 pt. Times New Roman is our preferred font.
• Include a brief bio, no longer than 2 lines, which will appear on the postcard if accepted.
• Simultaneous submissions are fine but please notify us as soon as you get accepted elsewhere. Do not send multiple submissions.
• We encourage work from new and established writers.
• Submissions must be original and unpublished, including on social media.
• If we pass on your submission, we request that you wait 6 months before submitting again.

Literary Work:

We accept poetry and prose, including creative flash fiction and non-fiction, no longer than 16 lines (including spaces). We are interested in literary work that is surprising, memorable, and meaningful. Words that have staying power. We also like the funny, the strange, the poignant. We accept any forms of poetry and prose, including formal and surreal verse. Send us poems and prose that is gripping and pushes the imagination with a unique voice; work that is both graceful and risk-taking.

Original work only— if any phrases or lines are not completely your own, or if the work is inspired by another author, you must provide attribution. 

Artwork:

We seek original artwork from visual artists that respond to or is inspired by the literary work. (Ekphrasis)
We are interested in artwork that opens up the interpretation of the literary piece rather than a literal representation.  Accepted writers may also submit artwork of their own. 

If interested in having art or photography considered for use in our issues, please contact us at info@thepoetryloft.org                         

Publication:

Our selection process —every submission is read by multiple readers before a final determination is made.

Your work may be creatively formatted to fit on a postcard. 

WISP postcards may appear online and other social media, and may be included in an anthology of postcards. Audio recordings of selected pieces may also be requested.

Depending on funding and our printing schedule, some high quality poems, prose and artwork that we love may be selected for digital print only.

Previously Published Poems 

Reprints of previously published poems of outstanding merit will also be considered for publication. When submitting,  clearly indicate that the poem has been previously published in the email. Also indicate where the piece was previously published and if you have permission or rights to reprint the work.

We sometimes reach out to authors whose work we admire with an invitation to submit.

Payment

Accepted writers and artists will receive a free packet of 5 postcards, including a link to their website. Additional packets will be available upon request.

Rights

Author grants First North American Serial Rights, First Anthology Rights and First Audio Rights, as well as the right to archive work. The postcard piece may be considered for a possible anthology.  After publication, rights revert back to the author to republish the work elsewhere at a later time.

We request that the author kindly acknowledge WISP as the place where the work was first published. 

Response Time:
We respond to submissions within 3 months, often sooner. Though we try our best to respond to each writer individually, due to time constraints and the volume of submissions at this time, we are only able to respond individually to writers whose work has been accepted.

WISP is proud to nominate for the Pushcart Prize and other national prizes.

We will not consider AI generated or assisted work or any writing that seems offensive or exhibits  

homophobia, misogyny, or xenophobia. 

An imprint of The Poetry Loft.  By donating to The Poetry Loft, you are making a charitable contribution. Thank you for supporting our work!