(image by Wilhelm Gunkel)
Are you eager to share stories or poems you’ve written? Do you feel like you have amazing writing locked inside of you, just waiting to break free? San José Public Library invites writers of all ages and backgrounds to submit their original short stories and poems through the Short Édition platform. If accepted, your work will join other stories and poems from our community to create a rich reflection of our collective voices and imaginations.
These works will build a local collection accessible through the San José Public Library short story portal for our community's reading and enjoyment. In addition to being available online, your work will be accessible from a short story dispenser available at Village Square Branch Library.
Short Édition Submission Criteria (Please Read!)
- Submissions must be short stories or poems with a maximum of 8,000 characters, spaces included. We cannot accept anything longer.
- Works must be stand-alone, not part of a series of installments.
- All submissions should be sent through the Short Édition submission portal (account creation required). Submissions are ongoing, with no deadline. (Special contests which we'll hold periodically will have deadlines, however.)
- Review the rubrics by which we'll be evaluating short stories and poems. We'll accept only those works that meet or exceed our scoring standards.
- We welcome submissions from established and emerging writers alike. You may use a pen name if you wish.
- We will accept only fictional works, though stories and poems may be based on personal experiences. While they may be in any style or genre, they should be appropriate for a diverse audience.
- Works must be previously unpublished in print or online, including on personal blogs.
- Please be patient! It may take a few weeks for you to hear back from us. We'll let you know our decision at the email address you’ve used to create your Short Édition account.
What Should I Write About?
Having a case of writer’s block? Try writing on the following prompt, inspired by the new year:
Imagine a character starting over in life. What went wrong? How are they trying to rebuild? What obstacles might they face? What lessons might they have learned?
SJPL’s Short Édition committee will provide new prompts throughout the year to help keep you inspired! Keep checking SJWrites on the SJPL blog for more news about our Short Édition platform, our Poetry Contest in April and Short Story Contest in September, and other upcoming programs and community collaborations.
Interested in learning more about Short Édition? Read all about the publishing company.
Happy New Year, and happy writing!
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