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.

Short Works Awards & Drama Award
 

• Unpublished or previously published works are accepted in the Short Works competition; excerpts from larger works may also be submitted. All unpublished short works must have been completed in 2023; all previously published short works must have been published in 2024. Please Note: a piece may not be submitted both when it is unpublished and again in the year it is published; e.g. a short work may be submitted only once.
• Please submit your manuscript, which cannot exceed 20 pages for fiction and nonfiction or 5 pages for poetry (one to five poems totaling no more than five pages), and may include the entire script for drama. Your manuscript should be one document that is a .doc, docx, or .pdf file. 
• All manuscripts must meet the following formatting requirements: 12-point Times, double-spaced lines (fiction), and one-inch margins on standard 8.5 x 11 paper; poetry and drama may be submitted single-space; fiction, nonfiction, and drama should include page numbers.
• The author’s name should not appear on any of the manuscript pages.

Short Works Awards & Drama Award
 

• Unpublished or previously published works are accepted in the Short Works competition; excerpts from larger works may also be submitted. All unpublished short works must have been completed in 2023; all previously published short works must have been published in 2024. Please Note: a piece may not be submitted both when it is unpublished and again in the year it is published; e.g. a short work may be submitted only once.
• Please submit your manuscript, which cannot exceed 20 pages for fiction and nonfiction or 5 pages for poetry (one to five poems totaling no more than five pages), and may include the entire script for drama. Your manuscript should be one document that is a .doc, docx, or .pdf file. 
• All manuscripts must meet the following formatting requirements: 12-point Times, double-spaced lines (fiction), and one-inch margins on standard 8.5 x 11 paper; poetry and drama may be submitted single-space; fiction, nonfiction, and drama should include page numbers.
• The author’s name should not appear on any of the manuscript pages.

Short Works Awards & Drama Award

• Unpublished or previously published works are accepted in the Short Works competition; excerpts from larger works may also be submitted. All unpublished short works must have been completed in 2023; all previously published short works must have been published in 2024. Please Note: a piece may not be submitted both when it is unpublished and again in the year it is published; e.g. a short work may be submitted only once.
• Please submit your manuscript, which cannot exceed 20 pages for fiction and nonfiction or 5 pages for poetry (one to five poems totaling no more than five pages), and may include the entire script for drama. Your manuscript should be one document that is a .doc, docx, or .pdf file. 
• All manuscripts must meet the following formatting requirements: 12-point Times, double-spaced lines (fiction), and one-inch margins on standard 8.5 x 11 paper; poetry and drama may be submitted single-space; fiction, nonfiction, and drama should include page numbers.
• The author’s name should not appear on any of the manuscript pages.

Short Works Awards & Drama Award
 

• Unpublished or previously published works are accepted in the Short Works competition; excerpts from larger works may also be submitted. All unpublished short works must have been completed in 2024; all previously published short works must have been published in 2024. Please Note: a piece may not be submitted both when it is unpublished and again in the year it is published; e.g. a short work may be submitted only once.
• Please submit your manuscript, which cannot exceed 20 pages for fiction and nonfiction or 5 pages for poetry (one to five poems totaling no more than five pages), and may include the entire script for drama. Your manuscript should be one document that is a .doc, docx, or .pdf file. 
• All manuscripts must meet the following formatting requirements: 12-point Times, double-spaced lines (fiction), and one-inch margins on standard 8.5 x 11 paper; poetry and drama may be submitted single-space; fiction, nonfiction, and drama should include page numbers.
• The author’s name should not appear on any of the manuscript pages.

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.