Written River is a literary journal published bi-annually by Hiraeth Press which focuses on poetry and non-fiction prose exploring nature and our relationship to it. Published on the Summer and Winter Solstices in digital format, we strive to encourage the discipline of ecopoetics and return the voice of the poet to the body of the Earth. Ecopoetics is poetry in which the energy of the ecosystem flows through the poem, creating a written river of words which ebbs with the creativity of the entire Earth community. Written River marks the confluence of many streams and many voices as they flow back into the nourishing ground of the watershed.
Written River accepts unsolicited submissions. Our Journal primarily publishes poetry (any form as long as the verse is theme-relevant), nonfiction, (essays, autobiographical stories, and travel writing), interviews and book reviews.
Written River Bi-annual Submission Deadlines
- Winter Solstice Issue: October 20
- Summer Solstice Issue: April 20
Any submissions recieved after the deadline will be considered for the next issue. We review all submissions after the deadline has passed so that we are enable to put each issue together as a whole. You can expect to hear from us within 2-3 weeks after the last submission day.
Poetry Submissions
Size limit: 5 poems not exceeding 15 pages
Please send a short cover letter, biographical statement and a Microsoft Word document (.doc or .docx) attachment of up to 5 poems not exceeding 15 pages. Please send a query letter and an excerpt if you would like a long form poem to be considered. Simultaneous submissions are permitted; however, we ask to be notified promptly if your submitted work is accepted elsewhere.
Please note that we are usually unable to publish all of the poems included in the submissions that we accept. We usually publish anywhere from one to three. If we accept your submission we will follow up with the poems we choose to publish.
Non-Fiction Submission
Size limit: 5000 words
Please send a short cover letter, biographical statement and a Microsoft Word document (.doc or .docx) attachment of your non-fiction work. Please limit your submission to 5000 words or less. We recognize that some non-fiction pieces work in conjunction with photography and other artwork. In these cases please include the images as separate files of at least 300dpi in addition to indicating where approximately you would like them to appear in the text. Simultaneous submissions are permitted; however, we ask to be notified promptly if your submitted work is accepted elsewhere.
Photography and Art Submission
Size limit: None
We also accept original artwork and photographs with an ecological theme. Generally the art we publish is closely related to each issue's theme. We request that images be scanned with a resolution of at least 300 dpi and attached it to the query email, which should also contain a cover letter. Simultaneous submissions are permitted; however, we ask to be notified promptly if your submitted work is accepted elsewhere. Because we tend to recieve fewer artwork submissions there is currently no restriction on the number of pieces you may submit.