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Small Press

wetcementpress.com

Wet Cement Press

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Independent publishing3 open opportunities listed

About the press

Wet Cement Press is an independent publisher and artist-run platform based in the United States, founded in the early 2010s by a collective of writers and artists. Its name signals a commitment to work that is still setting—raw, immediate, and resistant to premature closure. The press emerged from a desire to support writing and art that operates outside commercial and academic circuits, prioritizing the materiality of the book and the urgency of the present moment. Over time, it has expanded from chapbooks and zines to full-length collections, exhibitions, and public programming, all while maintaining a deliberately small-scale, hands-on approach. Its core mission is to foster a community of makers who value experimentation, collaboration, and the physical object as a site of meaning.

Publishing focus

Wet Cement Press is a small press based in Berkeley, California, with editors in Reno, Nevada, and Asheville, North Carolina. The press typically publishes three to five books a year with a focus on poetry, innovative memoir and creative nonfiction, experimental fiction, and hybrid work combining image and text. Wet Cement Press was started by a group of writers who once lived and worked together in San Francisco. Aesthetic tastes run toward the lyrical and spontaneous, the raw and unsmooth.

PoetryFictionCreative NonfictionChapbookNovellaShort Story CollectionsNovelMemoirPoetry Collections

Calls & opportunities

3 listed
Open

Wet Cement Press — Submissions

View opportunity Official listing
Open

Wet Cement Press — Submissions

View opportunity Official listing
Open

Wet Cement Press — Submissions

View opportunity Official listing

Manuscript submissions

Reading periodJan 1 to Dec 31
Reading feeNo
Response time3 to 6 months
Simultaneous submissionsYes
Unsolicited submissionsYes

Wet Cement Press accepts submissions on a rolling basis, though reading periods are announced via its website and newsletter. Artists and writers should first familiarize themselves with the press's catalog to understand its aesthetic range—work that is formally adventurous, emotionally direct, and often hybrid in genre. Submissions should include a brief cover letter, a complete manuscript or portfolio (depending on the medium), and a short artist statement. The press values clarity of intent over polish; do not over-edit. Response times vary, but expect several months. Simultaneous submissions are accepted, but please notify promptly if work is placed elsewhere. Above all, approach with patience and a collaborative spirit—Wet Cement is a labor of love, not a fast-track to publication.

We are looking for work that is subtle, conscious, and aware. Lyricism, far-flung locations, daring, desperation, and experimentation are all of interest.

Read official guidelines

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