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Stillhouse Press

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About the press

Stillhouse Press is an independent literary press based in Northern Virginia, founded in 2014 as a teaching press affiliated with the MFA program in creative writing at George Mason University. Its founding ethos centers on collaborative, hands-on publishing education: graduate students work directly with authors to acquire, edit, design, and market books, gaining practical experience while producing carefully crafted literary works. The press publishes a focused list of poetry, fiction, and nonfiction, with an emphasis on voices that might otherwise be overlooked by commercial houses. Its mission is twofold: to serve as a laboratory for emerging publishing professionals and to champion writing that is formally ambitious, emotionally resonant, and culturally necessary.

Publishing focus

Stillhouse Press publishes surprising, gutsy fiction, nonfiction, and poetry that can’t or doesn’t want to find a home in big publishing. The editors are drawn to the strange, the unconventional, the transcendent, the risky. They’re looking for work that pushes boundaries.

PoetryFictionCreative NonfictionNovellaShort Story CollectionsEssay CollectionsNovelMemoirPoetry Collections

Selected authors
Wendi Kaufman, Mark Polanzak, Matthew Fogarty, Bryan Borland, Christina Olson, Jacqueline Kolosov, Andrew Gifford, Anna Leahy, Doug Dechow

Calls & opportunities

5 listed
OpenDeadline · 2026-11-16

Stillhouse Press — Speculative Fiction Open Call, Fall 2026

OpenDeadline · 2026-11-16

Stillhouse Press — Speculative Fiction Open Call, Fall 2026

Manuscript submissions

Reading periodNov 1 to Feb 1
Reading feeYes
Response timeGreater than 6 months
Simultaneous submissionsYes
Unsolicited submissionsYes

Stillhouse Press accepts submissions through periodic open reading periods, typically announced on its website and social media. Writers should submit complete manuscripts in poetry, fiction, or nonfiction, following the specific guidelines for each genre. Because the press is run by students under faculty supervision, response times can be longer than at commercial presses; patience is advised. Simultaneous submissions are generally accepted, but notify the press immediately if your work is placed elsewhere. A cover letter that articulates your book's vision and your own writing background is welcome, though the work itself is the primary consideration. Above all, read the press's existing catalog to understand its aesthetic range—it favors writing that takes risks with form or subject matter while remaining accessible to a thoughtful reader.

Stillhouse Press opens yearly for manuscripts in fiction, creative non-fiction, and poetry. In 2026, we will open for fiction, from November 1, 2026 to February 1, 2027. Only complete manuscripts will be considered for publication. For detailed guidelines, please visit our submissions page.

Read official guidelines