West Trade Review

Submitting your work

Writers should submit only previously unpublished work and follow the journal's genre-specific guidelines closely. For creative nonfiction, they seek personal essays and memoir that demonstrate a clear narrative arc and reflective depth, typically under 5,000 words. Simultaneous submissions are accepted, but immediate notification is required if the work is placed elsewhere. The journal charges no reading fee for standard submissions, though expedited options may be available. Response times vary, but generally range from one to three months. It is advisable to read at least one recent issue to understand the editorial aesthetic before submitting.

We like works that risk something and affect us intellectually and emotionally. We want poems, creative nonfiction (memoir/personal essays), and 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. We gravitate toward exquisitely crafted 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. Quality of writing, style, and characterization are important to us. Have a question abour our journal? Don’t hesitate to ask.