Willow Springs Books is a literary press housed in Eastern Washington University’s Inland Northwest Center for Writers in Spokane, Washington and operates under the direction of poet Christopher Howell. Each year, we host the Spokane Prize for Short Fiction. Past judges have included Rick Bass, William Kittredge, Jess Walter, John Keeble, Shawn Vestal, Sharma Shields, Alexis Smith, and Molly Giles. Please view each category for guidelines or visit willowspringsbooks.org/submit.
Manuscripts must have a minimum of three (3) stories of fiction totaling at least 98 pages.
All authors, regardless of publication history, are eligible. Manuscripts must contain page numbers and a table of contents. There is no maximum page count and individual stories may have been previously published in journals, anthologies, or limited edition volumes. The collection as whole must be previously unpublished.
For the well-being of our staff, we ask that you include content warnings in your cover letter for any stories within your manuscript that may have triggering material (i.e. self-harm, suicide, sexual misconduct, race or gender-based violence, etc.)
One manuscript per submission.
Current Eastern Washington University Creative Writing MFA students and alumni who have graduated within the past five years from Eastern Washington University's Creative Writing MFA are not allowed to submit.
Order copy of Andrea Jurjević's Nightcall. If you'd like to order wholesale, please contact us at willowspringsbooks@gmail.com
Order your copy of Nickalus Rupert's short fiction collection, Bosses of Light and Sound. If you'd like to order wholesale, please contact us at willowspringsbooks@gmail.com
Order your copy of Cameron McGill's poetry chapbook, "Meridians". If you'd like to order wholesale, please contact us at willowspringsbooks@gmail.com
Purchase an edition of Willow Springs Books' Zodiac Series of anthologies of poetry & prose.
TITLES:
Heart of the Rat
Hair of the Dog
Purchase one of the poetry chapbooks in the American Surrealist tradition that Willow Springs Books publishes under the auspices of the ACME Poem Company.
Separate forms are available for purchasing Andrea Jurjević's Nightcall and Cameron McGill's Meridians.
TITLES:
Nightcall by Andrea Jurjevic
Meridians by Cameron McGill
The Time Machine by Laura Kasischke
Dark Acre by Canese Jarboe
Tooth & Shoe by Heikki Huotari
Black Postcards by Michael McGriff
The 9 Day Queen Gets Lost on Her Way to the Execution by Karyna McGlynn
Startle Pattern by Larissa Szporluk
Drunk on Salt by James Nolan
You Won't Need That by Robert Gregory
Gnawing on a Thin Man by Ray Amorosi
No Time for Dancing by Adam Hammer
The Spokane Prize for Short Fiction is an annual contest run out of the MFA at Eastern Washington University's small press, Willow Springs Books. Each year, the winner receives $2000 and publication. Submissions are accepted January through June.
Separate forms are available for purchasing Elsa Nekola's 2020 Sustainable Living and Nickalus Rupert's 2019 Bosses of Light and Sound.
TITLES:
2020 Sustainable Living by Elsa Nekola
2019 Bosses of Light and Sound by Nickalus Rupert
2018 things we'll need for the coming difficulties by Valerie Vogrin
2017 A Kind of Solitude by Dariel Suarez
2016 Suffering Fools by Glori Simmons
2015 Ventroloquisms by Jaclyn Watterson
2014 Swimming in Hong Kong by Stephanie Han
2013 Here Among Strangers by Serena Crawford
2012 All the Wrong Places by Molly Giles
2011 The Empty House by Nathan Oates
2010 You Are Not Alone by Sherril Jaffe
2009 Love Songs for the Quarantined by K.L. Cook