Call for Poems for 2025
In partnership with the Maine Writers & Publishers Alliance, poet and editor Megan Grumbling selects poems for Deep Water, a weekly poetry column in the Maine Sunday Telegram. Each edition of Deep Water includes a brief introduction by Megan contextualizing the week’s poem.
Like a beach with a sudden drop-off, the best poems put you in the cold ocean without warning: the sand under your feet falls away, your heart thuds in your chest, and it’s all you can do to stay afloat. This column will focus on poems with deep water in them, in their sudden change in temperature, in their ability to grab a reader’s attention, and in their marriage of form and content. Please note that "deep water" is meant metaphorically: water themes or imagery are not necessary for consideration.
Poems submitted to Deep Water should be written by Maine poets or by non-Mainers writing about Maine. Previously published poems will be accepted, but please note the date and place of publication with your submission.
SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
+ Previously published poems may be submitted but must be noted as such.
+ Most poems chosen will be 35 lines or less, including stanza breaks.
+ Please be aware that a poem with complex lineation may be difficult to reproduce precisely, and that longer lines may need to be broken up in formatting for the column.
+ Please submit 3-5 poems in one document, and include a cover letter with a brief bio.
+ Poems may be by Maine poets on any subject matter, or by non-Mainers writing about Maine, or poems published by Maine publishers.
We look forward to reading your work!
The Maine Writers & Publishers Alliance is now distributing Ex Libris Maine, an e-newsletter that exclusively profiles recently released books by MWPA members, twice per month. The newsletter is sent to a large group of recipients, including our entire MWPA membership and numerous literary organizations, bookstores, libraries, and Maine media contacts.
Inclusion in Ex Libris Maine is free for individual MWPA members to feature their own books. Publisher members may submit any and all books they publish.
PEASE NOTE: Ex Libris Maine is a members-only benefit and exclusively features books published within the current month or the two previous months. For example, the April, 2023 editions can feature titles published in April as well as March and February of 2023. In order to maintain Ex Libris Maine as a resource for newly released titles, we are not able to include books older than this window of time. Ex Libris Maine is published on the second Monday and last Monday of each month; submissions for each month must be received by 5:00 PM on the Thursday prior to the last Monday of the month to qualify for inclusion in a given month’s late edition.
MWPA reserves the right to make editorial changes to Ex Libris submissions to clarify content and ensure all profiles follow a similar format. In rare instances, if a submitted title does not align with MWPA's mission to support all Maine writers and foster an inclusive, representative literary community (You can read more about this purpose here), MWPA may decide not to feature a member's submitted book in a forthcoming Ex Libris.
If you have any questions, please contact Samara Doyon at exlibris@mainewriters.org.
Please fill out the application, include a statement of intent/need, and attach a work sample.
QUESTIONS?
Contact MWPA at programs@mainewriters.org or 207-228-8264.
Thanks so much for your interest in leading a workshop for the MWPA.
Would you please complete the form below?
Eligibility
+ The Maine Chapbook Series is open to all current Maine residents (including part-time, seasonal residents who grew up in Maine and have a regular presence in the state and/or those who own a second home in the state).
+ Only those who have not published a book in this year’s genre may enter.
+ No MWPA staff members, board members, or their immediate family may submit to the contest.
+ Per the Publishing Contest Ethics, as advanced by the Council of Literary Magazines and Presses (CLMP), any person who has studied writing in a formal program with the Final Judge—through a college, university, community program, residency, or private tutorial, within the last two years—is not eligible to submit a manuscript to this contest.
GUIDELINES
+ MWPA members may enter for $15 and nonmembers for $25 per submitted manuscript. More than one submission is allowed per person but each must include an entry fee. Simultaneous submissions are accepted; authors should notify MWPA immediately if their manuscript is accepted elsewhere.
+ Nonfiction manuscripts should be 10,00-25,000 words in length (front matter not included). Manuscripts may consist of collected essays, memoir, or any form of creative nonfiction.
+ No illustrations may be included.
+ Please include a table of contents and acknowledgments listing previous publications.
+ Manuscripts with more than one author will not be accepted, including translations.
+ Manuscripts will be read blindly. The author’s name should appear nowhere in the manuscript. Submittable collects the author’s information at the time of submission.
SUBMISSIONS will be open through NOVEMBER 22, 2024.
All entrants will receive a copy of the winning book.