Submission Guidelines

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

WISP is a literary-arts postcard of mini poetry, fiction, and memoir/ creative nonfiction.  WISP keeps outstanding literature and art in hands and on the streets, alive and circulating. 

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WISP is dedicated to discovering the best imaginative unpublished works from emerging and established poets and writers.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 1   and    Aug. 1 - Nov. 1  

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

Summer issue:  June;  Winter issue: December.

• Send 1-3  unpublished poems, flash fiction, creative nonfiction/memoir to info@thepoetryloft.org in the body of the email.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 3 lines, which will appear on the postcard if accepted. 
• Simultaneous submissions are fine but please notify us as soon as you get accepted elsewhere. 
• 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• Submissions must be original and unpublished, including on social media.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 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 prose that is gripping and pushes the imagination with a unique voice. 

Artwork:

We seek original artwork from our roster of visual artists that responds to or is inspired by the literary work. (Ekphrasis)
We seek 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                         

Artists will receive 10 copies of the postcard with their artwork, including a link to their website. 

Publication: 

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

WISP postcards will appear online and other social media, and may be included in an anthology of postcards. 

Accepted writers and artists will receive a free packet of 10 postcards. Additional packets will be available upon request. We publish a limited run. 

Author grants First North American Serial Rights, and First Anthology Rights. 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.

Response Time:
We respond to submissions in 4 weeks. If you don't hear from us in 4 weeks, please send an email to get an update on the status.  

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

We will not consider work that portrays racism, erotica, 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!